Step-operated circuit-breaker for electric cars.



- B. B. HERRON. 1

STEP OPERATED CIRCUIT BREAKER FOR ELECTRIC CARS.

4 APPLICATION FILED MAY 3, 1999. 932,018. Patented Aug. 24, 1909.

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I APPLICATION FILED MAY 3, 1909. 2 932,018 I Patented Aug. 24, 1909.

a SHEBTS-SHEBT 2 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIcE.

BENJ'AMIN B. HERRON, F TOLEDO, OHIO.

STEP-OPERATED CIB CUIT-BREAKER FOR ELECTRIC CARS.

To all whom it may cmi ,rn:

Be it known that 1,, ,iSuNaaMm B..-I-IER- RON, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Toledo, iii the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Step-Operated Circuit-Breakers for Electric Cars; and I do declare the following to be a full. clear, and. exact description of the-invention, such as It) will enable others skilleddn the art to which it appertai'ns to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in step operated circuit breakers for electric cars.

Theobject of .the invention is to prevent the premature starting of ani electrically propelled car while a passengerboarding or alighting from the car andthe invention consists in the arrangement of'the electric conducting -wires and the provision of a switch or circuit breaker arranged therein and operated by pressure on the car steps whereby the power will be'cut ofi' from the motor while a passenger is on the steps.

.lVith this and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination and arrange ment of parts as will'be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims. I In the accompanying drawings, F i ure l is a diagrammatic view .of the side ot a car showing 2is an end view of a car illustrating the arrangement of the circuit breaker and the means for operatively connecting-the same with the steps of thecar and. showing'in full lines the closed position of the parts and in dotted lines the position of the parts when operated to break the circuit; Fig. 3 is a side View of a portion of the rear end of the car showing the manner of supporting the stepsyFige is a vertical cross-sectional view of the steps at one side of thecar and the adjacent portion'of the platijrm, and Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional View on-fhe line 5--5 of Fig. 2. i Y ,1 "Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 indicates a car, 2 indicates the conpar ts may be of the usual or any desired (:OilSlLljttQlJlOll and do not form a part of the present invention.

; In carrying out my invention, the circuit 5; conducting wires between the trolley and Specification of Letters Patent. 1 Application filed May s, 1909.

the invention applied thereto Fig.-

'l roller ,and 3 indicates the motor. These Patented An 24., 1909. Serial No. 493,646.

the controller and motor are arranged as. indicated 111 Fig.

1, and arranged in the ci'rcuit wires adjacent. to the rear end of the car is my improved circuit breaker or switch, 1, the circuit wires being extended back to the end of the car for connection with the terminals of the switch as shown. One terminal, 5, of the circuitbreaker L, is stationary and is secured to and suitably insulated from a fixed part of the car frame as shown.

The movable contact. or terminal, 6, of the circuit breaker is secured to and suitably insulated from a switch lever, 7. which is pivotally mounted in a suitable bracket, 8, on the ui'iderside of the plattorn'i, 9, of the car. The switch lever, T, is connected adjacent to .its pivoted end. to an operating lever, 10, by means of a connecting rod, 11, and the lever, 10, is pivotally mounted on a hanger bar, 12, pro jecting-downwardlyiroin the underside of the platform, 9,'as shown. The forward end of the lever, 1.0, is operatively connected with a step engaging lever,

13, by means of a. connecting rod, 1% and 'the'lever, 13, pivotally .mounted at its inner end on the lower end of a hanger bar, 15, also projecting from the underside of the car platform as shown.

The lever, 13, projects through a slot, 16, formed in the lower end of the hanger bar, 12, and rests upon the upper end of a coiled supporting and operating spring, 17, which is arranged in the lower portion of the slot, 16, as shown. The tension of the-spring 17- lS*- l'Q{ {lllfli.C(l by an 'adjustin rangedin the lower end of t ebar, 12, Fig.

screw 18,- ar- 4. The outer portion of the lever, l3,is bi- 1 furcated and the bifurcated ends are connected by a cross bar. 19, to which the lower end of the connecting rod or bar, 14, is secured. The bifurcated outer end of the lever, 13, projects beneath and is secured .to the underside of the'lower step,.20,of the car, thus forming a yielding support for the step.

, The downward movement of the step, 20,

and theouter end oi? the lever, 13, is limited by a bail-shaped hanger,21,the upper ends of which are secured to the platform in any suitable manner. 'By thus supporting the step, 20, the latter will be permitted to yield or move downwardly to a limited eX- tent when engaged by a passenger in board ing or alighting from the car and in thus 10, through the pressure has been terminal,- l, thus completing the circuit moving down the lever, 13, will be lowered or swung downwardly against the pressure of the spriiw, 17 and will rock the lever, the connecting rod, 14, thus swinging the innerj'end of the lever, 10, upwardly which will," by means of the connecting rod, 11, actuate the switch lever, 7 to disenga e the switch terminal, 6, from the terminal, 4, oi the circuit breaker thereby breaking the electric circuit and preventing the passage or the current to the motor.

In addition to the yieldably mounted step, 20, I also preferably provide an additional yielding'step piece, 22, which is arranged along the outer and is of suflicient width to be engaged by the foot of the passenger in stepping from the step, 20, onto the platform. The step piece, 22, may he loosely supported in any suitable manner and is operatively COTlIlldC't" ed to the upper end of a lever actuating bar, 23, which extends downwardly and is connected to the outer end of the lever, 10, whereby when pressure to the step piece, 22, the switch operating mechanism will be actuated in the same manner as described in connection with the step, 20, so that the circuit closure will be heldopen until the passenger is in a safe position on the platform of the car. After ren'iored from the steps, 20 and 22, the spring 17 will restore the-operating mechanism to its normal position and will bring the terminal, 6, of the circuit breaker into engagement with the and permit-ting the motor-man to operate the car through controller. By regulatii' g the tension of the spring, 17, the parts may be adjusted for operation by any desired weight on the steps.

\Vhile the invention is herein shown and described as implied to only'o'ne side of the platform at one end of the car, it is obvious that the ain'angen-ient may be repeated and connected with the steps on both sides and at each end of the car. The step, 20 and step piece 22, are prcl'erablv formed from metal haing a plurality of upwardly projecting studs around which is arranged'a filling of rubber or similar material. The operating is applied levers and rods are preferably formed of an nula'rly curved or corrugatwlwooden ba1's,.

said bars being corrugatml to prevent the transmissioi'i of an electric current when the bars are wet.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,

the construction and operation of the invencdge of the platform.

operating resorted to without departing from the prin-v ciple or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention,

Having thus described my-inventiomwhat 1 I claim is 1. In a. device for preventing theprema- ,ture starting of an electric car, electric con-.

ducting wires, a circuit closing switch connected to said wires, a switch lever connected to one member of said switch, an operating lever connected with said switch lever, a step lever connected with said o ieratinglever, a step arranged on said step lever, whereby when pressure is applied to the step the switch will be opened and the circuit broken, and means to restore and hold said step and switch-operating mechanism in normal position, and the switch closed when pressure is. removed. from, the step.

2. In a step operated circuit breaker for electric cars, electric conducting wires arrangedas-herein shown and described, acir- I cuit closing switch arranged said wires, a series of switch ope 'ating levers, a lower step secured to one of said levers, an upper step piece operatively connected to the levers whereby when pressure is applied to either 9.0 of said steps the said levers Wlll be actiiated to open said switch, a spring to close the switch when pressure is removed from the steps, means to regulate the tension of said spring, and means to limit the. downward 9 movement of said lower stepQ In a step operated circuitbreaker for electric cars, electric conducting wires arranged as herein shown and described, a circuit breaking switch arranged-in said wires, a series of corrugated levers and connecting rods operatively connected with said switch whereby when pressure is applied to the le vers the switch will be opened, a spring to restore said levers to their normal position and close said switch when pressure is'removed tl'ierefrom, and means wherby the car steps are operatively connected with said levers to actuate the same when pressure is applied'to the steps.

In testimony whereof i BENJAMIN B. HERRQN.

Witnesses:

LOUISA M. Mosnaom. LOUISA CLA tion will be readily understoodwithout re- 60 v 

